Melon hybrid svmf5152 and parents thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of melon hybrid SVMF5152 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds, and tissue cultures of melon hybrid SVMF5152 and the parent lines thereof and to methods for producing a melon plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another melon plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to plants, seeds, plant parts, and tissue cultures of melon hybrid SVMF5152, melon line HAR-DV14-4220MO, and melon line HAR-DV14-4188AN comprising introduced beneficial or desirable traits.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of melon hybrid SVMF5152 and inbredmelon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects and pathogens, tolerance to environmental stress,and nutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all genetic loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for manygenetic loci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at anumber of loci produces a population of hybrid plants that differgenetically and are not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makesperformance unpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a melon plant of thehybrid designated SVMF5152, the melon line HAR-DV14-4220MO, or melonline HAR-DV14-4188AN. Also provided are melon plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Partsof these melon plants are also provided, for example, including pollen,an ovule, an embryo, a seed, a scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cellof the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of melon hybrid SVMF5152and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN comprising anadded heritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise agenetic locus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. Inone embodiment of the invention, a plant of melon hybrid SVMF5152 and/ormelon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN is defined as comprisinga single locus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, anadded genetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example,herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may beconferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of aline by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgeneintroduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or aprogenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced throughtransformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genesintegrated at a single chromosomal location.

In some embodiments, a single locus conversion includes one or moresite-specific changes to the plant genome, such as, without limitation,one or more nucleotide modifications, deletions, or insertions. A singlelocus may comprise one or more genes or nucleotides integrated ormutated at a single chromosomal location. In one embodiment, a singlelocus conversion may be introduced by a genetic engineering technique,methods of which include, for example, genome editing with engineerednucleases (GEEN). Engineered nucleases include, but are not limited to,Cas endonucleases; zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs); transcriptionactivator-like effector nucleases (TALENs); engineered meganucleases,also known as homing endonucleases; and other endonucleases for DNA orRNA-guided genome editing that are well-known to the skilled artisan.

The invention also concerns the seed of melon hybrid SVMF5152 and/ormelon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN. The melon seed of theinvention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous population ofmelon seed of melon hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MOand HAR-DV14-4188AN. Essentially homogeneous populations of seed aregenerally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, insome embodiments, seed of hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melon linesHAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN may be defined as forming at leastabout 97% of the total seed, including at least about 98%, 99% or moreof the seed. The seed population may be separately grown to provide anessentially homogeneous population of melon plants designated SVMF5152and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a melon plant of hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melon linesHAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating melon plants capable of expressingall of the physiological and morphological characteristics of thestarting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially the samegenotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of the hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melonlines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN include those traits set forthin the tables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissue cultures maybe derived, for example, from embryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen,leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers, seed and stalks.Still further, the present invention provides melon plants regeneratedfrom a tissue culture of the invention, the plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of hybrid SVMF5152and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing melon seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent melon plant with a second parent melonplant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent melon plantsis a plant of melon line HAR-DV14-4220MO or melon line HAR-DV14-4188AN.These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparinghybrid melon seed or plants, wherein a first melon plant is crossed witha second melon plant of a different, distinct genotype to provide ahybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of melon lineHAR-DV14-4220MO or melon line HAR-DV14-4188AN. In these processes,crossing will result in the production of seed. The seed productionoccurs regardless of whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent melon plant, oftenin proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediated byinsect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually. Wherethe plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without the need fordirect human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent melon plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent melon plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent melon plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a melon plant or hybrid melonplant.

The present invention also provides the melon seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent melon plant with asecond parent melon plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent melon plants is a plant of melon hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melonlines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN. In one embodiment of theinvention, melon seed and plants produced by the process are firstgeneration (F₁) hybrid melon seed and plants produced by crossing aplant in accordance with the invention with another, distinct plant. Thepresent invention further contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybridmelon plant, and methods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplaryembodiments of the invention provide an F₁ hybrid melon plant and seedthereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melon linesHAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN, the method comprising the steps of:(a) preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melonlines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN, wherein said preparingcomprises crossing a plant of the hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melon linesHAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN with a second plant; and (b)crossing the progeny plant with itself or a second plant to produce aseed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generation. In furtherembodiments, the method may additionally comprise: (c) growing a progenyplant of a subsequent generation from said seed of a progeny plant of asubsequent generation and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration with itself or a second plant; and repeating the steps for anadditional 3-10 generations to produce a plant derived from hybridSVMF5152 and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN. Theplant derived from hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MOand HAR-DV14-4188AN may be an inbred line, and the aforementionedrepeated crossing steps may be defined as comprising sufficientinbreeding to produce the inbred line. In the method, it may bedesirable to select particular plants resulting from step (c) forcontinued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). By selecting plantshaving one or more desirable traits, a plant derived from hybridSVMF5152 and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN isobtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of the line/hybridas well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of melon hybridSVMF5152 and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN, whereinthe plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting at leastone melon from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement ofmelon hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO andHAR-DV14-4188AN is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used torefer to the aggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of whichsequences defines the phenotype of, in the present case, a melon plant,or a cell or tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus representsthe genetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic makeup of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides melon plant cells that have a geneticcomplement in accordance with the melon plant cells disclosed herein,and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid SVMF5152 and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MOand HAR-DV14-4188AN could be identified by any of the many well-knowntechniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by melon plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a melon plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second melon plant, preferably, another, distinct melonplant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a melon plantregenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds, and derivatives of melon hybrid SVMF5152, melon lineHAR-DV14-4220MO, and melon line HAR-DV14-4188AN.

Melon hybrid SVMF5152, also known as 14-DV-CAN-5152, is a cantaloupevariety that produces fruit that are oval in shape and non-sutured. Thefruit of melon hybrid SVMF5152 have yellow skin color at maturity,orange flesh, and a long shelf life.

A. Origin and Breeding History of Melon Hybrid SVMF5152

The parents of hybrid SVMF5152 are HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN.The parent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid producedtherefrom. A small percentage of variants can occur within commerciallyacceptable limits for almost any characteristic during the course ofrepeated multiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Melon HybridSVMF5152, Melon Line HAR-DV14-4220MO, and Melon Line HAR-DV14-4188AN

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there areprovided plants having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of melon hybrid SVMF5152 and the parent lines thereof.Descriptions of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofsuch plants are presented in the tables that follow.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Melon HybridSVMF5152 SVMF5152 CARIBBEAN CHARACTERISTIC (14-DV-CAN-5152) GOLD 1. Typecommon or summer common or summer 2. Seedling length of hypocotyl (justbefore medium medium development of the first true leaf) size ofcotyledon medium medium intensity of green color of cotyledon lightmedium 3. Leaf (mature blade of third leaf) shape reniform reniformlobes shallowly lobed shallowly lobed color medium green dark green RHSColor Chart Value 147A 137A length (mm) 111.46 120.80 width (mm) 161.00168.73 surface scabrous scabrous 4. Leaf Blade (fully developed but notold leaves, between the 5^(th) and 8^(th) node when the plant has atleast 11 nodes) size large medium intensity of green color medium darkdevelopment of lobes weak medium length of terminal lobe short mediumdentation of margin weak weak blistering medium strong 5. Petioleattitude semi-erect semi-erect length long medium 6. Plant sexexpression (at full flowering) monoecious monoecious habit vine vinetime of male flowering medium medium time of female flowering mediummedium 7. Young Fruit (green, unripe fruit before color change) hue ofgreen color of skin yellowish green green intensity of green color ofskin light light density of dots absent or very sparse absent or verysparse conspicuousness of groove coloring absent or very weak absent orvery weak length of peduncle medium medium thickness of peduncle 1 cmfrom fruit medium medium extension of darker area around medium mediumpeduncle 8. Fruit change of skin color from young fruit to late in fruitlate in fruit maturity development development length long medium length(at edible maturity) (cm) 20.14 18.50 diameter very broad mediumdiameter (at edible maturity) (cm) 16.74 15.05 ratio length/diametermedium to large small to medium weight (at edible maturity) (gm) 2717.261940.06 position of maximum diameter at middle at middle shape oval ovalshape in longitudinal section broad elliptic broad elliptic surface (atedible maturity) netted netted blossom scar (at edible maturity) obscureobscure rib presence (at edible maturity) present absent number of ribsper fruit (at edible 7.53 0.00 maturity) rib width at medial (at ediblematurity) 47.24 0.00 (mm) rib surface (at edible maturity) netted NAsuture depth (at edible maturity) medium NA suture surface (at ediblematurity) netted NA shipping quality (at edible maturity) excellentexcellent abscission (at edible maturity) when overripe when ripematurity (number of days from seeding 105 113 to harvest) ground colorof skin yellow yellow intensity of ground color of skin medium mediumhue of ground color of skin yellowish yellowish density of dots absentor very sparse absent or very sparse density of patches absent or verysparse absent or very sparse warts absent absent strength of attachmentof peduncle at strong weak maturity shape of base rounded rounded shapeof apex rounded rounded size of pistil scar large medium grooves weaklyexpressed absent or very weakly expressed width of grooves broad NAdepth of grooves shallow NA color of grooves yellow NA creasing ofsurface absent or very weak absent or very weak cork formation presentpresent thickness of cork layer thick thin pattern of cork formationnetted only netted only density of pattern of cork formation dense verydense rate of change of skin color from slow slow maturity to overmaturity width of flesh in longitudinal section (at thick thick positionof maximum fruit diameter) main color of flesh orange orange intensityof orange color of flesh (only medium medium varieties with main colorof flesh orange) firmness of flesh soft medium time of ripening latelate 9. Flesh color near cavity (at edible maturity) orange salmon RHSColor Chart Value 26C 25C color in center (at edible maturity) orangesalmon RHS Color Chart Value 26C 25C color near rind (at ediblematurity) orange salmon RHS Color Chart Value 26C 25C refractometer %soluable solids (center 14.86% 14.80% of flesh) aroma (at ediblematurity) strong faint flavor (at edible maturity) somewhat spicy veryspicy 10. Seed Cavity length (mm) 132.26 123.80 width (mm) 68.20 68.20shape in cross section triangular circular 11. Seed (fully developed anddry seeds, after washing and drying in the shade) length medium mediumwidth medium narrow shape pine-nut shape not pine-nut shape color creamyellow cream yellow intensity of color medium medium number of seeds perfruit 576.80 627.86 grams per 1,000 seeds (gm) 3.4 2.8 12. Rind netabundant abundant texture hard hard distribution covers entire fruitcovers entire fruit coarseness medium coarse very coarse interlacingcomplete complete interstices shallow medium deep thickness at medial(mm) 2.94 2.00 primary color (at edible maturity) yellow green yellowgreen RHS Color Chart Value 153B 144D net color (at edible maturity)gray white green yellow RHS Color Chart Value 156C 150D primary color(at full maturity) yellow green green RHS Color Chart Value 151B 138Bnet color (at full maturity) gray white gray white RHS Color Chart Value156D 156D These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment.Values that are substantially equivalent are within the scope of theinvention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Melon LineHAR-DV14-4220MO CARIBBEAN CHARACTERISTIC HAR-DV14-4220MO GOLD 1. Typecommon or summer common or summer 2. Leaf (mature blade of third leaf)shape reniform reniform lobes shallowly lobed shallowly lobed colormedium green dark green RHS Color Chart Value 189A 137A length (mm)113.20 120.80 width (mm) 147.86 168.73 surface scabrous scabrous 3.Plant sex expression (at full flowering) monoecious monoecious habitvine vine 4. Fruit length (at edible maturity) (cm) 18.32 18.50 diameter(at edible maturity) (cm) 13.95 15.05 weight (at edible maturity) (gm)1923.33 1940.06 shape oval oval surface (at edible maturity) nettednetted blossom scar (at edible maturity) obscure obscure rib presence(at edible maturity) absent absent shipping quality (at edible maturity)excellent excellent abscission (at edible maturity) when overripe whenripe maturity (number of days from seeding 101 113 to harvest) 5. Fleshcolor near cavity (at edible maturity) orange salmon RHS Color ChartValue 24B 25C color in center (at edible maturity) orange salmon RHSColor Chart Value 24C 25C color near rind (at edible maturity) orangesalmon RHS Color Chart Value 24C 25C refractometer % soluable solids(center 12.46% 14.80% of flesh) aroma (at edible maturity) faint faintflavor (at edible maturity) very spicy very spicy 6. Seed Cavity length(mm) 122.60 123.80 width (mm) 68.66 68.20 shape in cross sectioncircular circular 7. Seed (fully developed and dry seeds, after washingand drying in the shade) number of seeds per fruit 497.00 627.86 gramsper 1,000 seeds (gm) 24 28 8. Rind net abundant abundant texture hardhard distribution covers entire fruit covers entire fruit coarsenessmedium coarse very coarse interlacing complete complete intersticesshallow medium deep thickness at medial (mm) 1.63 2.00 primary color (atedible maturity) yellow green yellow green RHS Color Chart Value 12A144D net color (at edible maturity) white gray green yellow RHS ColorChart Value 192B 150D primary color (at full maturity) yellow orangegreen RHS Color Chart Value 15A 138B net color (at full maturity) orangewhite gray white RHS Color Chart Value 159A 156D These are typicalvalues. Values may vary due to environment. Values that aresubstantially equivalent are within the scope of the invention.

TABLE 3 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Melon LineHAR-DV14-4188AN CARIBBEAN CHARACTERISTIC HAR-DV14-4188AN GOLD 1. Typecommon or summer common or summer 2. Seedling length of hypocotyl (justbefore medium medium development of the first true leaf) size ofcotyledon medium medium intensity of green color of cotyledon mediummedium 3. Leaf (mature blade of third leaf) shape reniform reniformlobes shallowly lobed shallowly lobed color dark green dark green RHSColor Chart Value 189A 137A length (mm) 110.73 120.80 width (mm) 166.46168.73 surface scabrous scabrous 4. Leaf Blade (fully developed but notold leaves, between the 5^(th) and 8^(th) node when the plant has atleast 11 nodes) size large medium intensity of green color dark darkdevelopment of lobes weak medium length of terminal lobe short mediumdentation of margin weak weak blistering medium strong 5. Petioleattitude erect semi-erect length long medium 6. Plant sex expression (atfull flowering) gynoecious monoecious habit vine vine time of maleflowering medium medium time of female flowering medium medium 7. YoungFruit (green, unripe fruit before color change) hue of green color ofskin greyish-green green intensity of green color of skin light lightdensity of dots absent or very sparse absent or very sparseconspicuousness of groove coloring strong absent or very weak intensityof groove coloring medium NA length of peduncle medium medium thicknessof peduncle 1 cm from fruit medium medium extension of darker areaaround small medium peduncle 8. Fruit change of skin color from youngfruit to late in fruit late in fruit maturity development developmentlength medium medium length (at edible maturity) (cm) 14.04 18.50diameter broad medium diameter (at edible maturity) (cm) 14.58 15.05ratio length/diameter very small to small small to medium weight (atedible maturity) (gm) 1525.13 1940.06 position of maximum diameter atmiddle at middle shape round oval shape in longitudinal section circularbroad elliptic surface (at edible maturity) netted netted blossom scar(at edible maturity) obscure obscure rib presence (at edible maturity)present absent number of ribs per fruit (at edible 9.53 0.00 maturity)rib width at medial (at edible maturity) 43.36 0.00 (mm) rib surface (atedible maturity) netted NA suture depth (at edible maturity) medium NAsuture surface (at edible maturity) smooth NA shipping quality (atedible maturity) excellent excellent abscission (at edible maturity)when overripe when ripe maturity (number of days from seeding 112 112 toharvest) ground color of skin yellow yellow intensity of ground color ofskin light medium hue of ground color of skin yellowish yellowishdensity of dots absent or very sparse absent or very sparse density ofpatches absent or very sparse absent or very sparse warts absent absentstrength of attachment of peduncle at strong weak maturity shape of baserounded rounded shape of apex rounded rounded size of pistil scar mediummedium grooves weakly expressed absent or very weakly expressed width ofgrooves medium NA depth of grooves medium NA color of grooves green NAcreasing of surface absent or very weak absent or very weak corkformation present present thickness of cork layer thick thin pattern ofcork formation netted only netted only density of pattern of corkformation dense very dense rate of change of skin color from slow slowmaturity to over maturity width of flesh in longitudinal section (atthick thick position of maximum fruit diameter) main color of fleshorange orange intensity of orange color of flesh (only medium mediumvarieties with main color of flesh orange) firmness of flesh firm mediumhue of color of skin (at over maturity) green green (only varieties withchange of skin color from maturity to over maturity) intensity of yellowcolor of skin (at over medium medium maturity) (only varieties withchange of skin color from maturity to over maturity and with yellow ororangish yellow color of skin) time of ripening late late 9. Flesh colornear cavity (at edible maturity) orange salmon RHS Color Chart Value 25C25C color in center (at edible maturity) orange salmon RHS Color ChartValue 25C 25C color near rind (at edible maturity) orange salmon RHSColor Chart Value 25C 25C refractometer % soluable solids (center 13.24%14.80% of flesh) aroma (at edible maturity) faint faint flavor (atedible maturity) very spicy very spicy 10. Seed Cavity length (mm) 76.55123.80 width (mm) 58.12 68.20 shape in cross section circular circular11. Seed (fully developed and dry seeds, after washing and drying in theshade) length medium medium width broad narrow shape pine-nut shape notpine-nut shape color cream yellow cream yellow intensity of color mediummedium number of seeds per fruit 371.86 627.86 grams per 1,000 seeds(gm) 31 28 12. Rind net abundant abundant texture firm hard distributioncovers entire fruit covers entire fruit coarseness medium coarse verycoarse interlacing complete complete interstices shallow medium deepthickness at medial (mm) 3.53 2.00 primary color (at edible maturity)yellow green yellow green RHS Color Chait Value 145B 144D net color (atedible maturity) gray white green yellow RHS Color Chart Value 156B 150Dfurrow (suture) color (at edible gray green NA maturity) RHS Color ChartValue 191A NA primary color (at full maturity) yellow green green RHSColor Chart Value 144C 138B net color (at full maturity) gray white graywhite RHS Color Chart Value 156B 156D furrow (suture) color (at fullmaturity) green NA RHS Color Chart Value 138B NA These are typicalvalues. Values may vary due to environment. Values that aresubstantially equivalent are within the scope of the invention.

C. Breeding Melon Plants

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof melon hybrid SVMF5152 involving crossing melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MOand HAR-DV14-4188AN. Alternatively, in other embodiments of theinvention, hybrid SVMF5152, line HAR-DV14-4220MO, or lineHAR-DV14-4188AN may be crossed with itself or with any second plant.Such methods can be used for propagation of hybrid SVMF5152 and/or themelon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN, or can be used toproduce plants that are derived from hybrid SVMF5152 and/or the melonlines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN. Plants derived from hybridSVMF5152 and/or the melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN maybe used, in certain embodiments, for the development of new melonvarieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid SVMF5152 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well-known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withSVMF5152 and/or melon lines HAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN for thepurpose of developing novel melon lines, it will typically be preferredto choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or moreselected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desiredcharacteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirabletraits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield, high seedgermination, seedling vigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance orresistance, adaptability for soil and climate conditions, and delayedfruit ripening. Consumer-driven traits, such as a fruit shape, color,texture, and taste are other examples of traits that may be incorporatedinto new lines of melon plants developed by this invention.

D. Further Embodiments of the Invention

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those melon plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing or by genetic engineering,wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of a variety are recovered or conserved in addition tothe single locus introduced into the variety via the backcrossing orgenetic engineering technique, respectively. By essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics, it is meant that thecharacteristics of a plant are recovered or conserved that are otherwisepresent when compared in the same environment, other than an occasionalvariant trait that might arise during backcrossing, introduction of atransgene, or application of a genetic engineering technique.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentalmelon plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental melon plant to whichthe locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred is knownas the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a melon plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny melon plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of melon the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

With the development of molecular markers associated with particulartraits, it is possible to add additional traits into an established germline, such as represented here, with the end result being substantiallythe same base germplasm with the addition of a new trait or traits.Molecular breeding, as described in Moose and Mumm, 2008 (PlantPhysiol., 147: 969-977), for example, and elsewhere, provides amechanism for integrating single or multiple traits or QTL into an eliteline. This molecular breeding-facilitated movement of a trait or traitsinto an elite line may encompass incorporation of a particular genomicfragment associated with a particular trait of interest into the eliteline by the mechanism of identification of the integrated genomicfragment with the use of flanking or associated marker assays. In theembodiment represented here, one, two, three or four genomic loci, forexample, may be integrated into an elite line via this methodology. Whenthis elite line containing the additional loci is further crossed withanother parental elite line to produce hybrid offspring, it is possibleto then incorporate at least eight separate additional loci into thehybrid. These additional loci may confer, for example, such traits as adisease resistance or a fruit quality trait. In one embodiment, eachlocus may confer a separate trait. In another embodiment, loci may needto be homozygous and exist in each parent line to confer a trait in thehybrid. In yet another embodiment, multiple loci may be combined toconfer a single robust phenotype of a desired trait.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of melon plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. In addition,marker assisted selection may be used to identify plants comprisingdesirable genotypes at the seed, seedling, or plant stage, to identifyor assess the purity of a cultivar, to catalog the genetic diversity ofa germplasm collection, and to monitor specific alleles or haplotypeswithin an established cultivar.

Types of genetic markers which could be used in accordance with theinvention include, but are not necessarily limited to, Simple SequenceLength Polymorphisms (SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 18:6531-6535, 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNAAmplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized AmplifiedRegions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR),Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science,280:1077-1082, 1998).

In particular embodiments of the invention, marker assisted selection isused to increase the efficiency of a backcrossing breeding scheme forproducing a melon line comprising a desired trait. This technique iscommonly referred to as marker assisted backcrossing (MABC). Thistechnique is well-known in the art and may involve, for example, the useof three or more levels of selection, including foreground selection toidentity the presence of a desired locus, which may complement orreplace phenotype screening protocols; recombinant selection to minimizelinkage drag; and background selection to maximize recurrent parentgenome recovery.

E. Plants Derived by Genetic Engineering

Various genetic engineering technologies have been developed and may beused by those of skill in the art to introduce traits in plants. Incertain aspects of the claimed invention, traits are introduced intomelon plants via altering or introducing a single genetic locus ortransgene into the genome of a recited variety or progenitor thereof.Methods of genetic engineering to modify, delete, or insert genes andpolynucleotides into the genomic DNA of plants are well-known in theart.

In specific embodiments of the invention, improved melon lines can becreated through the site-specific modification of a plant genome.Methods of genetic engineering include, for example, utilizingsequence-specific nucleases such as zinc-finger nucleases (see, forexample, U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2011-0203012); engineered or nativemeganucleases; TALE-endonucleases (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.8,586,363 and 9,181,535); and RNA-guided endonucleases, such as those ofthe CRISPR/Cas systems (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,697,359 and8,771,945 and U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2014-0068797). One embodiment ofthe invention thus relates to utilizing a nuclease or any associatedprotein to carry out genome modification. This nuclease could beprovided heterologously within donor template DNA for templated-genomicediting or in a separate molecule or vector. A recombinant DNA constructmay also comprise a sequence encoding one or more guide RNAs to directthe nuclease to the site within the plant genome to be modified. Furthermethods for altering or introducing a single genetic locus include, forexample, utilizing single-stranded oligonucleotides to introduce basepair modifications in a melon plant genome (see, for example Sauer etal., Plant Physiol, 170(4):1917-1928, 2016).

Methods for site-directed alteration or introduction of a single geneticlocus are well-known in the art and include those that utilizesequence-specific nucleases, such as the aforementioned, or complexes ofproteins and guide-RNA that cut genomic DNA to produce a double-strandbreak (DSB) or nick at a genetic locus. As is well-understood in theart, during the process of repairing the DSB or nick introduced by thenuclease enzyme, a donor template, transgene, or expression cassettepolynucleotide may become integrated into the genome at the site of theDSB or nick. The presence of homology arms in the DNA to be integratedmay promote the adoption and targeting of the insertion sequence intothe plant genome during the repair process through homologousrecombination or non-homologous end joining (NHEJ).

In another embodiment of the invention, genetic transformation may beused to insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention ormay, alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which canbe introduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well-known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., Nat. Biotechnol., 3(7):637-642, 1985). Moreover, recenttechnological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites inthe vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable ofexpressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described haveconvenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and apolyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptidecoding genes. Additionally, Agrobacterium containing both armed anddisarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., Nat. Biotechnol., 3:629-635, 1985; U.S.Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, for example,Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985; Omirulleh et al.,Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993; Fromm et al., Nature,312:791-793, 1986; Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986;Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988). Transformation of plants andexpression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(Plant Cell Rep., 13:344-348, 1994) and Ellul et al. (Theor. Appl.Genet., 107:462-469, 2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, for example, Odel et al., Nature, 313:810,1985), including in monocots (see, for example, Dekeyser et al., PlantCell, 2:591, 1990; Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389,1990); a tandemly duplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, theenhanced 35S promoter (P-e35S); the nopaline synthase promoter (An etal., Plant Physiol., 88:547, 1988); the octopine synthase promoter(Fromm et al., Plant Cell, 1:977, 1989); and the figwort mosaic virus(P-FMV) promoter as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and an enhancedversion of the FMV promoter (P-eFMV) where the promoter sequence ofP-FMV is duplicated in tandem; the cauliflower mosaic virus 19Spromoter; a sugarcane bacilliform virus promoter; a commelina yellowmottle virus promoter; and other plant DNA virus promoters known toexpress in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., PlantPhysiol., 88:965, 1988), (2) light (for example, pea rbcS-3A promoter,Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989; maize rbcS promoter,Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-bindingprotein promoter, Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985), (3) hormones,such as abscisic acid (Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989), (4)wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989); or (5)chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, or Safener. It mayalso be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters (e.g., Roshal etal., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987; Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988;Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a melon plant according to the invention.Non-limiting examples of particular genes and corresponding phenotypesone may choose to introduce into a melon plant include one or more genesfor insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) gene, pesttolerance such as genes for fungal disease control, herbicide tolerancesuch as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, and genes for qualityimprovements such as yield, nutritional enhancements, environmental orstress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plant physiology, growth,development, morphology or plant product(s). For example, structuralgenes would include any gene that confers insect tolerance including butnot limited to a Bacillus insect control protein gene as described in WO99/31248, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, U.S. Pat.No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, herein incorporated by reference intheir entirety. In another embodiment, the structural gene can confertolerance to the herbicide glyphosate as conferred by genes including,but not limited to Agrobacterium strain CP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPSgene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,435, hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety, or glyphosate oxidoreductasegene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,175, herein incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991). The RNA could also be acatalytic RNA molecule (i.e., a ribozyme) engineered to cleave a desiredendogenous mRNA product (see for example, Gibson and Shillito, Mol.Biotech., 7:125, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces a protein or mRNAwhich expresses a phenotype or morphology change of interest is usefulfor the practice of the present invention.

F. Definitions

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a genetic locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions or transgenes from one geneticbackground into another.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-Pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Color Chart Value: The RHS Color Chartis a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of anycolor. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightnessand saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS Color Chart byidentifying the group name, sheet number, and letter, e.g.,Yellow-Orange Group 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-Pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing or genetic engineering ofa locus, wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of a melon variety are recovered in addition to thecharacteristics of the single locus.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a melon plant by transformation or sitespecific recombination.

G. Deposit Information

A deposit of melon hybrid SVMF5152 and inbred parent linesHAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN, disclosed above and recited in theclaims, has been made with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC),10801 University Blvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The date of depositfor melon hybrid SVMF5152 and inbred parent lines HAR-DV14-4220MO andHAR-DV14-4188AN was Oct. 2, 2018. The accession numbers for thosedeposited seeds of melon hybrid SVMF5152 and inbred parent linesHAR-DV14-4220MO and HAR-DV14-4188AN are ATCC Accession NumberPTA-125340, ATCC Accession Number PTA-125341, and ATCC Accession NumberPTA-125338, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent, all restrictionsupon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits are intended to meetall of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.801-1.809. The deposits willbe maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years, or 5 yearsafter the last request, or for the effective life of the patent,whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessary during thatperiod.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

1. A melon plant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes ofmelon line HAR-DV14-4220MO or melon line HAR-DV14-4188AN, a sample ofseed of said lines having been deposited under ATCC Accession NumberPTA-125341 and ATCC Accession Number PTA-125338 respectively.
 2. A melonseed that produces the plant of claim
 1. 3. The plant of claim 1,wherein the plant is a plant of said melon line HAR-DV14-4220MO or melonline HAR-DV14-4188AN.
 4. The plant of claim 1, wherein the plant is aplant of melon hybrid SVMF5152, a sample of seed of said hybrid havingbeen deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-125340.
 5. The seed ofclaim 2, wherein the seed is a seed of said melon line HAR-DV14-4220MOor melon line HAR-DV14-4188AN.
 6. The seed of claim 2, wherein the seedis a seed of melon hybrid SVMF5152, a sample of seed of said hybridhaving been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-125340.
 7. A plantpart of the plant of claim 1, wherein the plant part comprises a cell ofsaid plant.
 8. A melon plant having all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of the plant of claim
 3. 9. A tissueculture of regenerable cells of the plant of claim
 1. 10. A method ofvegetatively propagating the melon plant of claim 1, the methodcomprising the steps of: (a) collecting tissue capable of beingpropagated from the plant of claim 1; and (b) propagating a melon plantfrom said tissue.
 11. A method of introducing a trait into a melon line,the method comprising: (a) utilizing as a recurrent parent the plant ofclaim 1 by crossing said plant with a donor melon plant that comprises atrait to produce F₁ progeny; (b) selecting an F₁ progeny that comprisesthe trait; (c) backcrossing the selected F₁ progeny with a plant of thesame melon line used as the recurrent parent in step (a) to producebackcross progeny; (d) selecting backcross progeny comprising the traitand the morphological and physiological characteristics of the recurrentparent melon line used in step (a); and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d)three or more times to produce selected fourth or higher backcrossprogeny.
 12. A melon plant produced by the method of claim
 11. 13. Amethod of producing a melon plant comprising an added trait, the methodcomprising introducing a transgene conferring the trait into the plantof claim
 1. 14. A melon plant produced by the method of claim
 13. 15. Amelon plant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of melonline HAR-DV14-4220MO or melon line HAR-DV14-4188AN, a sample of seed ofsaid lines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-125341and ATCC Accession Number PTA-125338, respectively, further comprising atransgene.
 16. The plant of claim 15, wherein the transgene confers atrait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicidetolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance,modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stress tolerance, modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism, and modified protein metabolism.
 17. A melonplant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of melon lineHAR-DV14-4220MO or melon line HAR-DV14-4188AN, a sample of seed of saidlines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-125341 andATCC Accession Number PTA-125338, respectively, further comprising asingle locus conversion.
 18. The plant of claim 17, wherein the singlelocus conversion confers a trait selected from the group consisting ofmale sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance,disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stresstolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism, and modified proteinmetabolism.
 19. A method for producing a seed of a melon plant derivedfrom at least one of melon hybrid SVMF5152, melon line HAR-DV14-4220MO,or melon line HAR-DV14-4188AN, the method comprising the steps of: (a)crossing the melon plant of claim 1 with itself or a second melon plant;and (b) allowing seed of a hybrid SVMF5152-, line HAR-DV14-4220MO-, orline HAR-DV14-4188AN-derived melon plant to form.
 20. A method ofproducing a seed of a hybrid SVMF5152-, line HAR-DV14-4220MO-, or lineHAR-DV14-4188AN-derived melon plant, the method comprising the steps of:(a) producing a hybrid SVMF5152-, line HAR-DV14-4220MO-, or lineHAR-DV14-4188AN-derived melon plant from a seed produced by crossing themelon plant of claim 1 with itself or a second melon plant; and (b)crossing the hybrid SVMF5152-, line HAR-DV14-4220MO-, lineHAR-DV14-4188AN-derived melon plant with itself or a different melonplant to obtain a seed of a further hybrid SVMF5152-, lineHAR-DV14-4220MO-, or line HAR-DV14-4188AN-derived melon plant.
 21. Themethod of claim 20, the method further comprising repeating saidproducing and crossing steps of (a) and (b) using the seed from saidstep (b) for producing a plant according to step (a) for at least onegeneration to produce a seed of an additional hybrid SVMF5152-, lineHAR-DV14-4220MO-, or line HAR-DV14-4188AN-derived melon plant.
 22. Amethod of producing a melon fruit, the method comprising: (a) obtainingthe plant of claim 1, wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity;and (b) collecting a melon fruit from the plant.
 23. A melon planthaving all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of theplant of claim 4.